Gathering To Remember The Lost

Vigil At Moving Wall Honors Mias, Pows

August 15, 1998|By MARYELLEN FILLO; Courant Staff Writer

BRISTOL — In the glow of a circle of soft candlelight, William Martin softly sang along to the Billy Joel tune ``Good Night Saigon.''

``And we prayed to Jesus Christ with all our might. . .and it was dark, so dark at night,'' he sang as he and hundreds of others clutched candles as part of the nighttime vigil at The Moving Wall Friday night. The vigil was to honor those who were missing in action or had been prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

``It certainly wasn't like this,'' the Waterbury resident said as he surveyed the attentive crowd of about 600 who stood in semi-darkness. ``I don't think I'll ever forget that darkness,'' the Army veteran said. ``Or how scared I was.''

The vigil was one of several programs being held this week to celebrate veterans of the Vietnam War and the more than 58,000 service personnel who died in the conflict. Speakers spent more than an hour lamenting the country's politics and lack of commitment to those who were never accounted for or who were held prisoner during the war.

``To write him off is to abandon him,'' said Thomas Cleary, whose brother, Peter, an Air Force pilot, was shot down in 1972 and remains listed as missing in action.

Explaining the emotional torture he and his family have been through not knowing for sure what happened to his brother, Cleary criticized the government for ``copping out'' on the 2,000 veterans who were presumed dead.

``I do not believe the government has done all it can to relieve the burden of the families who have members who were missing in action,'' said Cleary. ``I don't believe the government has tried hard at all.''

Frank Anton, a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war from 1968 to 1973, agreed that many questions remain about soldiers who were captured and never returned to the United States.

``I found out later that the government knew where I was and had pictures of me when I marched from one prisoner camp to another,'' said Anton.

Two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, John Levitow and Harvey Barnum, shared their thoughts on the war as they gazed at the wall.

``I was lucky, it was just a few minutes of my life,'' said Levitow, who was injured but still managed to throw a potentially fatal enemy flare out of an Air Force cargo plane he was flying on.

Both Levitol and Barnum emphasized the need for parents to tell their children about the war and to stress the importance of patriotism and teamwork.

``Teach your children so this wall will have an everlasting effect on them,'' said Levitow.

``As servicemen we were a team,'' added Barnum who, as a Marine lieutenant, led his stranded company back to safety during an attack in 1965. ``And when you are a team you can beat the odds.''